Let's Go On Dreaming
by pokemon fan 98
Summary: Music Meister likes helping people discover things through movie-like dreams. He's already helped Barry and Kara. Now it's time for him to help Caitlin.


_Let's Go On Dreaming_

She knows someone is following her, as she walks home from her latest job for Amunet, and she takes a breath in to prepare herself to fight, feeling cold start spreading through her. She turns with one hand aimed in the stalker's direction, emanating frozen mist.

"That was a fast reaction," the man says.

He seems familiar, though she can't think why. It doesn't matter. "Get lost," she orders.

"I don't want to cause you any trouble, Caitlin. I actually want to help you."

She walks closer, doing her best to intimidate him. "Last chance."

The man pouts. "I thought you'd remember me, but I guess we didn't see much of each other. Last time I was here, I was helping Barry and Kara."

She sucks in a breath as the memory surfaces. "Music Meister."

He flourishes one arm in a bowing gesture. "At your service. Now, you should call your friends before we start so they can look after your body. No way of knowing how long it'll take you."

She sends a wave of ice at him and takes off running. She makes it to the street corner before he catches up, and she reacts without thinking – she turns to fight him, forgetting that all he has to do to trap her is meet her eyes.

"I guess you'll have to go it alone," he says, raising his eyebrows.

She sees a swirling pattern in his eyes, and experiences a total falling sensation as her consciousness swiftly fades.

-0-

"Are you ready or what?"

As quickly as she had been falling, she's upright. Only she's not on the street anymore. She's outside the warehouse, clad in a leather jacket and facing Amunet. "What?"

"Now's not the time to be sassy. We need to make a good impression."

She looks around frantically. "On who?" What kind of dream has Music Meister put her in? He _has_ put her in a dream, right?

Amunet tsks. "I'm in no mood for games, Chilly. I've been waiting a long time for a meeting like this." Amunet opens the door and pushes her forward.

There are three people standing in a loose circle inside the warehouse, and Caitlin stops short when her eyes lock with one of them. Hunter Zolomon looks at her without a shred of emotion, and she can only hope her expression is equally closed off as her thoughts race.

"Oh, honestly," Amunet says as she runs into her. Amunet steps around her.

Hunter moves his gaze to Amunet, and Caitlin feels herself breathe again. She looks at the other two, and though they don't elicit a physical response in her like Hunter, she's shocked to recognize Barry and Oliver.

"Gentlemen, so nice to finally meet you," Amunet says.

"You didn't come alone," Oliver says in an accusatory tone.

"Because I don't work alone. At least, I have people who work for me, and she's the best of them. I want her involved with this alliance."

Caitlin moves to stand just behind Amunet, studying the others. Hunter is as she remembers him. Oliver isn't too different from reality either. Barry is the most obviously different. He wears a dress suit, and has a smoldering look as he studies her right back; she can sense the cold detachment emanating from him. He may look the same physically, but this isn't the Barry she knows at all. "Who are you?" Barry asks her.

"Killer Frost."

She can't read his expression, but Hunter nods at her in apparent approval.

"Black Death, The Chemist, and The Huntsman," Amunet says, looking in order at Hunter, Barry, and Oliver. "We do love naming ourselves, don't we?"

"Says the one who calls herself Blacksmith," Oliver notes.

Amunet gives him a sweet smile. "My point exactly. We already fit in as a group. Collectively, you have power above ground. I have an empire below. We all know that combining our forces will make us unstoppable. All that's left is to make the alliance official."

Hunter suddenly stands immediately in front of Caitlin, and she can see blue lightning fading behind him. She meets his gaze steadily as he tries to intimidate her, though inside her heart is pumping faster. He's a speedster.

Hunter looks at her appraisingly before taking a step back. "It does sound promising," he says, looking to Amunet, "but we have some concerns."

"You've always worked on your own," Barry says, walking closer. "We need to know you won't try to betray us to save your own skin."

"You're worried about _me_ betraying _you_? Boys, just as I'm sure you did your research on me, I know that all of you have traded others for your own successes." She smiles. "It's part of what's given you your reputations."

"Still, no deal until you've proven yourselves," Oliver says, looking at both Amunet and Caitlin.

"So we'll do a little job, to test this new team."

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Hunter asks, his gaze moving to Caitlin.

Fear gives way to fury at the condescending comment, and Caitlin fashions and icicle and holds it to Hunter's throat so that if he tries to use his speed, his throat will be cut. Everyone in the room tenses, and Hunter slowly raises a hand.

"I assure you, boys, we're more than capable. There's a reason she's my top lieutenant, and you can see how ruthless she is. Chilly, do let him go now, you've made your point."

She drops the icicle and steps back, still glaring at Hunter.

Barry closes the distance between he and Amunet, holding out a hand. "Assuming this job goes well, we've got an alliance."

-0-

Caitlin blinks and finds herself in a living room setting. She turns rapidly, extremely disoriented, and sees Music Meister lounging on a couch with his feet propped on an end table. Her disorientation fades as her anger surges, and she stalks closer to him.

"What the hell is this?" she demands.

"It's your movie, Miss Snow," Music Meister says. He lowers a pair of sunglasses and peers over them. "It's not a musical, but it's definitely fun."

"Take me out of it!"

"Only you can do that."

"How?"

"Finish the movie," he says, as if it's the simplest thing in the world. "Find your way to the ending, and you can go back to your real life. I've streamlined the process so it's more like an actual movie too. You'll jump from scene to scene, and the events in between will appear in your memory."

As he says this, details of the job Amunet is sending her on with the guys surface in her mind. She ignores them as she faces down Music Meister. He looks like a classic mobster in a pin-striped suit and dress shoes, and she wants to smack the grin off his face.

"What's the plot?" she asks through gritted teeth.

He adjusts the cuff of his suit. "You just made an alliance with criminals, Miss Snow. It's not a comedy." He doesn't elaborate further. "If you decide you want a musical number, let me know. I could totally make this work."

With that he vanishes, and Caitlin groans in frustration. He said this was her movie. She doesn't even know what the plot is! Is she supposed to help the bad guys, or undermine them? If she makes the wrong choice, does she get the chance to do it over?

She walks around the apartment to try and find some answers, and finds a pretty big one on the center of the kitchen table: an engagement ring.

Just like Music Meister said, little pieces of information come to her, and she realizes it's hers. She takes it off when she goes to work for Amunet, so nothing happens to it. This apartment is mostly empty because she's in the process of moving in with someone. She picks the ring up and slides it on her finger, looking at it questioningly. Because she hasn't recovered memories of who gave her the ring. She suspects Music Meister is enjoying watching her scramble to find answers, intentionally withholding critical ones. She goes straight to bed in an attempt to thwart his enjoyment, going over the details of the job she has to do as she tries to fall asleep.

-0-

She's moved to the next scene as soon as she finishes going through the job in her head, making her wonder if Music Meister can somehow read her thoughts. She sincerely hopes he can't. Caitlin finds herself in a hallway, holding a clipboard and wearing a white lab coat. She's outside a room with a parent and child inside, and some background fills in: she's a pediatrician in this movie.

Looking after kids by day, making the streets a more dangerous place by night, she thinks. Or maybe working undercover to make the streets better. She still isn't sure if she's supposed to work with Amunet or not.

She goes into the room and gives the little boy a checkup. She offers him a freeze pop before he leaves, and feels a small sense of satisfaction when he accepts it. She hasn't felt like she's really helped anyone in some time; seeing the boy's tiny wave as he and his mother depart leaves a smile on her face.

-0-

Caitlin blinks and finds herself in a new place, at night.

"May I have this dance?"

She starts at the voice and turns to see Ronnie, looking at her with a heartbreaking smile, and butterflies start fluttering in her stomach. A dark blue vest is haphazardly worn over his white dress shirt, a black tie under his collar. He's holding out a hand to her, palm up, and she steps forward automatically. As her hand rests on his, she realizes she's wearing a dark blue gown to match his vest.

"Ronnie, what are you doing here?"

"We made a deal," he tells her. "You picked what we did this weekend. I get to pick next weekend." One side of his mouth quirks up. "And I vote we don't leave the apartment."

They reach the dance floor, and Caitlin feels like she can't breathe right as Ronnie places his hand around her waist, and she places hers on his shoulder.

"We'll get pizza," he continues in a low voice, "and we can rent a movie. We'll turn off our cell phones so no one can bug us, and pretend the world outside the apartment doesn't exist."

They're spinning across the dance floor, his movements strong and steady, hers fluid and graceful.

"How does that sound?" he asks as he spins her out.

She twirls back into him, her hand tightening on his shoulder. "It sounds perfect."

She hears music softly playing in the background as they hold on to each other, a relatively slow piece with a masculine voice and gentle instrumentals, and catches some of the lyrics for the first time as the voice swells with emotion. '_So close to reaching that famous happy end. Almost believing this was not pretend.'_

Her heart seems to stop as the painful lyrics hit her ear. Seeing Ronnie, she'd been so shocked she'd forgotten this is a dream. However cruel Music Meister is to use this song, it does help her remember that it isn't real. Her real life comes back to her; the one time she and Ronnie had gone dancing, the only steady, graceful movement they'd been able to do was sway back and forth. This scene is too perfect.

She still wishes it was real.

The memory of her events between working and coming to this dance appear in the front of her mind. Memories with Ronnie do as well, and she knows that now, she's fully moved in to his apartment – their apartment.

_'Let's go on dreaming… So close. So close. But still so far.'_

A fervent hatred for Music Meister burns in her veins. She knows he's nearby, relishing in watching this movie he's created. He doesn't control everything, though. She looks up at Ronnie's face as the song ends, placing her hands on the back of his neck and pulling him close.

It may be a dream, but their kiss feels as real as any kiss she's ever had. She's just reaching up to touch his face when someone screams. She and Ronnie break apart, whirling. As Caitlin looks around she sees Music Meister on the band platform, standing by the microphone.

"We need a doctor!" a woman yells.

Caitlin and Ronnie rush over to her as the crowd circles around them. A man lies on the floor, his eyes closed.

"I'm a doctor," Caitlin says to the woman, going to her knees by the man's side. "Tell me what happened."

"We were dancing and he said he needed a bit of air. As he was walking away, he reached for his arm, and then he just fell."

Caitlin takes the man's pulse as the woman explains, and then looks at Ronnie. "Call an ambulance. I think he's having a heart attack." Caitlin sees Ronnie pulling out his phone as she starts caring for the man as best she can.

Paramedics arrive and take the man to the hospital. One of the EMTs commends Caitlin for helping the man, and some of the crowd begin to applaud her. Heat rising to her cheeks, Caitlin grabs Ronnie's hand and starts walking toward the coat section. Does Music Meister want to remind her that she's a doctor? Is that what this is about?

"Cait, slow down," Ronnie says as they search for their coats. "We don't need to run."

Ronnie finds Caitlin's wrap, since she has no idea what it looks like, and they walk out into the open air.

"Are you okay?" Ronnie asks. "You seem off, all of a sudden."

"I'm just tired," she lies.

"Hopefully not too tired," he says in a low voice. "We need to finish that dance at home."

She sees the playfulness in his eyes and can't contain her eager smile. She's missed him so much.

-0-

Memories of the rest of that night and the next day come to her, but she finds herself abruptly in the following night. She doesn't think this is the best pace for a movie, and then is mad at herself for the complaint. She doesn't want to be in the movie at all, so moving through it quickly isn't a problem.

Barry, Oliver, and Hunter are waiting for her, looking almost exactly as they had last time she'd seen them. Barry is even still wearing a full suit. Amunet is missing, but Caitlin knows Amunet is trusting her to do this as she manages other jobs.

This job should be simple. They need to intercept a delivery of drugs and take the product for themselves. Caitlin has a feeling the trio have chosen this job because they expect there to be violence. They want to see if she'll run at the first sign of danger.

She doesn't. She slips back into the headspace she's practically been living in since leaving Team Flash. Pushing down her moral compass isn't too challenging when the people she's scared of hurting are nowhere near her.

When they reach the site of the deal, a dusty, crumbling shell of an apartment building, she watches for Hunter's signal and then confidently enters the room.

Those engaged in the deal stiffen. A few individuals on the edges start to run, but the trio takes care of them. Two fall to Hunter's ruthless speed. One is skewered with an arrow. Caitlin faces the men in the middle of the floor. "If you want to keep your lives, I suggest you give us those supplies," she says.

A round man who had been reaching for a box chuckles as he straightens. "You think that display's gonna scare us off, sweetheart?"

Caitlin knows she has a few ways of playing this, and decides to have a little fun with it instead of simply being hostile. "How about we make a deal?" she asks as she steps closer to him. "You give me what I want… and I'll tell you what your mistake was?"

The round man snaps, and a number of guns are drawn and aimed at Caitlin and the trio. "I think you made the mistake, sweetheart."

Caitlin pauses for a second, bringing fear to her expression. "Please don't hurt me," she says, reaching for his arm.

She sees some of the guns move in the grips, but none are fired. The round man gives her a greedy look as he puts one hand on top of hers, and Caitlin makes his hand freeze.

The man cries out, drawing in on himself and cradling his arm as his hand thuds down next to his feet. The guns for hire start firing and she acts quickly, constructing an ice dome around her. She waits until the worst of the immediate gunfire stops before slashing her arms to break the dome and turn her defense into offense. She takes in the situation and goes on autopilot, whirling from person to person, and notices that the trio have joined her.

Every person who stood against them is on the ground within a minute. The roaring that fills her ears during fights fades, and she lets the ice she's formed fall to the floor.

Hunter walks up to her, smiling. "Nicely done, Frost."

"For a second you even had me thinking you were giving up," Oliver says.

"Then you're a fool," Barry says, walking past them. He stands by the round man. "This isn't personal," he tells the man, who is trying to crawl backwards as he cradles his frozen wrist.

"What's he doing?" Caitlin asks with a trace of urgency.

"Tying up a potential loose end," Hunter responds. "It's good you didn't kill the boss. Now you get to see the Chemist at work."

Barry pulls a vial out of his inner jacket pocket, unscrews its top, and pours the contents down the round man's throat. Immediately the man starts making choking sounds, his remaining hand reaching for his throat. "You can't stop it once the reaction's started," Barry says calmly, crouching closer to the man. "It's simple chemistry." The round man convulses twice and then is still.

Barry places the top back on his vial, slips it back into his pocket, picks up the chest full of drugs and walks back over, unfazed. Caitlin's heart is pounding as it sinks in that Barry's just killed someone, for no reason. The round man hadn't posed a threat.

"You did well," Barry tells her. "Tell Amunet we have an alliance."

She forces herself not to think of what she's just seen and nods.

-0-

The rush of memories is much more intense after this scene, and Caitlin thinks she knows why. Music Meister is skipping over a larger period of time. She receives memories of herself at work, laughing with coworkers (she's thrilled to see Cisco there) and enjoying helping her patients. She sees the first few nights she and Ronnie spend in their apartment together, and the date night Ronnie had chosen for them (the one where they stay inside and eat pizza). There are also recollections of quick meetings with Amunet and the trio, organizing a big score (which Amunet decides to send Caitlin on without her). It's a collection of moments that she doesn't know if she actually experiences or simply relives as the memories appear in her mind.

She realizes it's the night of the big score. She's sitting next to Ronnie on the couch, trying to think of a way to get him to bed early so she can sneak out. He's a heavy sleeper. He seems oddly energetic though, as if he's waiting for something. There's a knock on the door before she can figure out what's going on with him.

"Are you expecting someone?" she asks as he goes to open it.

"Yeah, I thought it was time we had our first guest over." He opens the door and a grinning Cisco stands in the entryway.

"I brought takeout and candy!" Cisco proclaims, strolling in and placing two bags on the counter. Ronnie closes the apartment door as Caitlin stands. "We wanted to surprise you with a movie night," Cisco continues, looking at her. "We haven't done one in a while."

"Is something wrong?" Ronnie asks, walking to her side and touching her arm.

Caitlin comes back to herself, realizing that they've seen the panic in her expression and quickly plastering on a half-smile. "I was feeling guilty for not organizing this myself," she says. "You're right that it's been a while."

"I know you don't really like surprises, but that was a new reaction even for you," Cisco says.

"I didn't get to clean everything," she claims, "and it's your first time seeing the place since we started living together. I was hoping to make a better impression."

Cisco rolls his eyes. "Okay, it makes sense now." He starts emptying out the bags. Ronnie doesn't seem to completely believe her, but she squeezes his arm reassuringly and he goes to get plates. Caitlin helps Cisco set out containers of Chinese food, her thoughts racing. She has to meet the trio in exactly two hours. Even if Cisco leaves within an hour and a half, Ronnie won't be going to sleep before she has to leave. There's no way she can just slip out… not without tricking them.

They fill their plates and start eating, Cisco taking over the conversation with the latest development in his dating life. Caitlin picks at her food, her stomach twisting too much for her to really eat. The conversation is easy, but she limits her responses. Cisco can keep the conversation animated enough, but Ronnie notices that Caitlin doesn't talk much in the almost forty minutes it takes them to stop eating.

"Time for fortune cookies," Ronnie says, giving one to each of them. His hand hovers near Caitlin's plate as he realizes she's stopped pretending to eat. "You barely ate."

"I'm not really hungry."

She sees the concern in his eyes as he looks at her closely. "You feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired." She never admits to being sick. If she wants to sell it, she has to make him tell her she's sick. She reaches for her fortune cookie, cracking it open and dropping the pieces on her plate as she reads the slip of paper. "_A life lived with love is the greatest treasure one can have._"

"_Trapped in pickle factory. Help,"_ Cisco reads. He drops his in disgust. "If they're gonna go with the cliché, they may as well do it the right way. A pickle factory?"

"What's yours?" Caitlin asks Ronnie.

He reluctantly looks away from her, opening his. "_Your life can change in an instant._" His lips curve upward. "I know mine did. The second you said you'd marry me."

Caitlin's heart feels like it's breaking. This situation is all she's ever wanted… and everything she can never have again. "Mine too," she manages, her voice slightly choked.

"You two are way too sappy," Cisco says. He's grinning though.

Ronnie reaches for her hand under the table, and Caitlin briefly flares her powers. Ronnie's hand is drawn back on a reflex when it touches her hand. He scoots closer to her, reaching for both of her hands with his. "Your hands are freezing." He rubs his hands over hers. "Are you sure you feel alright?"

"I'm a little tired, but I'll be fine. I don't want to ruin movie night."

"And I don't want you making yourself feel worse by staying up." He reaches up, brushing her hair back with a thumb. "You do seem off. You should go lie down."

"We can do the movie another time," Cisco says.

Caitlin pretends to hesitate, and then sighs. "Okay."

She feels guilty as she goes into the bedroom, but she has to trick them. Now Cisco will leave, and Ronnie will come into bed to look after her. The second he falls asleep she can sneak out to meet the trio.

She goes into the bathroom and runs the water for a minute, but finds that Ronnie isn't in the room yet, so she didn't need to. She's just lying on her side when Ronnie does come into the room.

"Feel better to be lying down?" he asks.

She hums in a positive response and closes her eyes. She feels him climb onto the bed, and then his hand is rubbing her back, filling her with warmth, and it's not hard to relax and slow her breathing. She exaggerates it slightly, so it seems like she's fallen asleep, but she pushes the trio to the back of her mind and lets herself enjoy the sweet contact. Especially when Ronnie's hand stills over her back, and she feels him move closer to her and place a soft kiss on her temple.

Once she hears the bathroom door close behind him she opens her eyes to look at the time. She closes them again when she hears the bathroom door open, and feels Ronnie climb back into the bed. She doesn't dare to open them again until his breathing has evened, what feels like a long time later, and then she looks at the clock and feels a rush of adrenaline. She has to leave _now._

She rises as quietly as she can. As she grabs her jacket from the closet she looks at Ronnie. He doesn't move, and she ducks out of the room. She doesn't realize she still has her ring on until she reaches the street, and touches it briefly before setting into a run.

She makes it to the meet site and looks at her watch. She has two minutes, so she stays back to catch her breath.

"What are you doing?"

She jumps at Cisco's voice and turns to see he and Ronnie just behind her. She can't hide her shock, or the fear that's now coursing through her. "You need to get out of here, it's not safe for you to be here!"

Ronnie steps closer to her. "Cait, we were worried about you. You were acting weird, and when you snuck out, I called Cisco. What's going on with you?"

Time is running out. "I'm working with dangerous people. I'll explain everything, I promise, but if they see you -."

"Frost!"

Her breath catches and she spins, running over to the clearing. The trio waits for her there, Oliver on the edge of the group. It was Oliver who called her, and he's looking in her direction with narrowed eyes as she reaches him. "Were you talking to someone?"

"No, I just got here," she says, trying her best to seem cocky. Internally, she's completely freaking out.

"Let's go!" Hunter calls.

"Wait," Oliver says. He looks past Caitlin. "There's two guys behind that building. She was talking to them."

"You brought someone to meet us?" Hunter asks.

She isn't holding it together enough to say anything, and sees a dark glint in Hunter's eyes.

"Let's go meet."

"They're not here with me!" she says, holding her hands up and finally finding her voice again. "They know me, but they don't know anything about this, or you! They're going home!"

Barry is studying her. "I think she's telling the truth." His expression is cold as ever. "They might have seen us, though, so we still have to kill them."

Caitlin acts on instinct. She sends a wave of ice at Hunter, to stall him, and runs toward the building Ronnie and Cisco are behind. She sees them, and they start for her when they see her, but she shakes her head and raises her hands, constructing a thick wall of ice between the three of them. She has to give them a chance to get away.

Hunter knocks her back, away from the blockade.

"Break through and kill them," Barry orders Oliver. "We'll handle her."

Oliver moves toward the blockade, grabbing an arrow from his quiver. Caitlin tenses to push him back, but Hunter races in front of her. "Do you know why they call me Black Death, Frost? When I kill someone, it happens so fast all anyone sees is a rush of black. I could kill you before your heart beats again. I want to enjoy this, though. I think we'll let the Chemist have some fun with you first."

Caitlin is trembling, but she fashions an icicle and faces them with her head held high. "He can try."

She can hear Ronnie yelling for her on the other side of the blockade, banging on it in an attempt to break through. Oliver is stabbing at the ice with a metal arrow, breaking away fragments. Caitlin puts her back to the blockade as Hunter and Barry demand her attention. Hunter starts running around she and Barry, separating them from everything else.

"We could have been partners, you know," Barry says, reaching into his coat pocket.

Caitlin lunges forward with the icicle. Hunter's arm swings out, clotheslining her in an instant before he resumes his circular track. Caitlin starts to flip, and as she falls Barry tears an envelope open. A powdery substance falls on Caitlin, and a foreign type of cold settles over her legs and one arm. She hits the ground and tries to rise, only to find that she can't move those three limbs.

Hunter stops circling them, stopping next to Barry.

"What did you do to me?" Caitlin asks.

"It's a temporary paralysis that affects whatever regions it comes into contact with." Barry looks at Hunter. "Emotional or physical first?"

It takes Caitlin a few seconds to understand, and then her eyes fly to the ice blockade. Oliver is almost through it.

"I guess that settles it," Hunter says, following her terrified gaze. "I'll get them."

"No!" Caitlin cries, throwing the one shoulder she can still feel forward. She manages to push herself to her stomach instead of lying on her back. Hunter reappears in that time, first with Cisco, then with Ronnie. He grips Ronnie by the collar, and swiftly punches him when Ronnie takes a swing at him.

"Let her go!" Ronnie shouts, again trying to fight Hunter.

Hunter moves in a blink, knocking Ronnie flat on his back. "Yours if you want it," Hunter tells Oliver.

Caitlin tries to use her arm to drag herself forward and feels Barry's foot plant on her back. "Don't touch him!" she yells. She's beyond furious as Oliver theatrically draws an arrow and points it at Ronnie. She's not about to lose Ronnie a third time – even if this is only a dream version of him.

She raises her arm and slams her hand to the ground with a scream of "NO!"

A path of spiked, jagged ice erupts over the ground and travels to Hunter and Oliver, trapping their feet and climbing up their bodies. Caitlin is breathing heavily as her energy is sapped, but she keeps the ice flowing, knowing that it has to be enough for Hunter to not be able to break off. She keeps the ice flowing until Barry kicks her.

Hunter takes a few seconds to do it, but breaks himself free of the ice and runs to her, picking her up roughly, and Caitlin knows she's going to die. She looks at Ronnie as Hunter starts vibrating his hand. He's half upright, looking at her with fear. She just has time to say "I love you," before Hunter obliterates her heart.

Except it doesn't hurt. It doesn't feel like anything, and she realizes that the scene around her has frozen. Music Meister materializes, walking around the paused people. Caitlin moves out of Hunter's grip, facing Music Meister.

"What happened?" she asks.

"You finished the movie, Miss Snow. And I have to say, it was thrilling to the finish. Giving up your life to try to save your loved ones… that doesn't seem like something a cold-hearted villain would do. Everyone likes when the protagonist's inner hero emerges victorious."

Caitlin feels herself frown. "What?"

Music Meister's expression softens. "Everyone I put into a movie needs to be reminded of something, Caitlin. For Barry and Kara, it was that love is worth everything. Yours is more personal."

She knows what that means, and is glad he leaves it unspoken. She swallows, looking at the paused Ronnie and Cisco. "Would they have been safe, at the end of the movie?"

"We'll never know," he says, following her gaze. Nothing happens until she looks at him again, and then she sees a swirling pattern in his eyes and experiences the same falling sensation she had earlier, her consciousness dimming abruptly.

-0-

"Caity? Caity, are you alright?"

Caitlin opens her eyes to see Amunet leaning over her. The real Amunet, in the real world. They're in Amunet's office, Caitlin resting on her couch.

"Well, you certainly took your time waking up!" Amunet says, concern clear in her voice. "What happened to you?"

"It's complicated." Caitlin breathes out low, pushing the dream to the back of her mind. It has to have been at least a few hours.

"Do you know the man that brought you here well? I only caught a glimpse of him after he set you down." She smiles. "I can kill him, if you'd like."

Caitlin shakes her head. "He's long gone by now."

She's surprised that Music Meister brought her to someone at all. He'd said he wouldn't. She'd thought, if Music Meister did bring her somewhere, it would be to S.T.A.R. Labs, and she feels a conflicting sense of relief and disappointment that it's Amunet who's looking at her anxiously instead of Cisco and Barry.

She understands that Music Meister was trying to help her figure out who she is. She's been throwing herself into this criminal world lately, but while she does love using her powers, she's not happy. She's happy thinking of her friends. The fear that she'll ultimately betray them, or hurt them in any way, though… it's enough to keep her from even trying to contact them. She's been thinking she's destined to be the villain Zoom and Savitar claimed she was, and nothing more.

She's not scared of that anymore.

She had to juggle two different lives in that dream, and when they inevitably intercepted, she had to choose which one she wanted to continue with. Her choice wasn't the one Zoom or Savitar would have made. She'll never be the kind of monsters they were. She silently thanks Music Meister as she talks with Amunet. Now she believes she can trust herself around her friends again.

She's not going running back to them. She will let them be a part of her life again, if they eventually try to, but she's going to stay right where she is, working for Amunet.

For the moment, just the weight of that fear being lifted off her shoulders is all she needs to be happy.

* * *

_A/N: In case it wasn't clear, this takes place between seasons three and four, before Amunet used the placebo to help separate Caitlin and Frost. It's canon compliant, but I had to put Snowstorm in there. The idea originally came to me when I was listening to the song "So Close" by Jon McLaughlin. That's the song in the dance scene, and I highly recommend listening to it if you don't know it. And even if you do! It's beautiful. I thought it would fit perfectly with a dream Snowstorm scene. I think Music Meister would sing it well too. I've also wondered what sort of dreams Music Meister would put the rest of Team Flash in, and thought this would be a good time for him to give one to Caitlin._

_This is my 75th fanfic! I had to make it Snowstorm in some way. It's one of my favorite ships._

_I hope you liked this!_


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